Son of a Hunter: The Story of Steven Muldoon
by I Am The Ox
Summary: This is part one of my "Son of a Hunter" trilogy following the adventures of Bob Muldoon's offspring, Steve, and is based on the events of the first film. Contains mild language, violence and extreme British badassery. R&R greatly appreciated as always!
1. Storm

16-year-old Steven Muldoon finished washing the Triceratops goo from his hair and stepped out of the shower. He towelled himself dry and donned a fresh pair of park ranger's overalls, embroidered with the Jurassic Park logo.

Steve made his way into his bedroom and rummaged through the wardrobe, eventually pulling out an exotic looking leather belt, equipped with all kinds of loops and pockets. Most of these were empty but, fitting snugly in pride of place, was a bone-handled hunting knife. This was a souvenir from his time at the Malliway Game Reserve in Kenya, where he had spent most of his life helping his father, Head Warden Bob Muldoon, run the reserve.

Steve slipped the belt around his waist, lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. His mother had died when he was just 9 months old, leaving his dad with the unenviable task of running a safari park and bringing up a young child simultaneously. The ever-resourceful Bob's solution to this was to take baby Steve with him on his patrols around the reserve, leading to Steve wanting to become a warden from an early age.

Bob began teaching his son the principles of being a warden as soon as Steve was old enough to stand. They had spent many a night out in the savannah together, with Bob teaching him how to survive, track and maintain the reserve. On Steve's 10th birthday he was bought his first gun, a small calibre shotgun. The youngster had inherited his father's talent as a marksman and this weapon became his closest companion for the following years.

Steve also picked up Bob's driving skills and was soon able to drive the patrol jeep around the reserve unaided, although he had to pull the seat right up and press the pedals on tiptoe. Steve was gradually allowed him to take on activities of increasing importance until he was able to fulfil the tasks of a fully-fledged game warden, his father often joking that Steve would do him out of a job.

Steve's years of training payed off when, at the tender age of 13, he tracked and killed a rogue lion that had been terrorising a local village, carrying off several children and animals. Steve even managed to save a young girl before the big cat could devour her and returned the shaken but unharmed kid home, much to the raptures of the villagers. They christened Steve "_Simba Wawindaji" _in hounour of his deeds, which simply translates as "The Lion Hunter". Steve was flattered, although this unfortunately did not get him out of a week's late night feeding duty as punishment for chasing the animal on his own.

A few years after this escapade, Bob received a personal letter from a certain Mr. John Hammond, who was well known as being an extraordinarily wealthy man and the CEO of the multinational genetics corporation InGen. The message offered Bob the job of Head Game Warden and young Steve the job of apprentice warden at an unspecified project on an island, just off the coast of Costa Rica. A large amount of correspondence followed, eventually resulting in the Muldoons bidding farewell to the other wardens at Malliway, packing their bags and flying to Costa Rica. They were picked up by an InGen private helicopter and flown out to a small island, the _Isla Nublar_. The terrain was some of the most beautiful Steve had ever seen, but it was nothing like as exciting as what they had found out upon landing. This information had been kept secret until their arrival, having only been previously described as "an exciting new safari park project, one that promises to revolutionise the content of zoological collections forever". A year on, Steve still couldn't quite believe what was happening. He and his father were working _with dinosaurs._

He was jerked out of his daydream by a clap of thunder and the lights flickering simultaneously. He remembered that a storm had been forecast for the evening and crossed to the window. It was getting dark outside, and his dad was still not back. Perhaps he was still talking to the visitors touring the island, or helping the park vet with the sick Triceratops. Steve shuddered at the thought of the large dinosaur – earlier that day it had vomited all over him and the fact that Tricey was a herbivore didn't make it any less disgusting. Because Steve was just an apprentice, he was only allowed to work with the vegetarian residents of the park. Bob wouldn't let his son anywhere near the carnivores anyway, in particular the Velociraptors. Steve knew his dad's view opinion on the Raptors only too well – their attempts to escape from the electrified cage that enclosed them fascinated him, but in this case fascination was far from affection and among the staff it was very common knowledge that Muldoon senior would happily shoot every last one dead, especially after a porter had lost his life in an incident with a transfer cage.

The lights flickered again, accompanied by more thunder. Steve headed downstairs, turning right and entering the wardens' off-duty room. The place was scattered with chairs and tables and was deserted, the other wardens having left a while ago to catch the ferry to the mainland. The Muldoons were the only ones who would remain on the island during a storm – that was why they lived in the staff HQ building, carved out of a rock face.

Steve continued through the off-duty room and into a smaller room, lined with complex control panels and computer screens. From here the wardens could monitor all non-technical aspects of the park and view the positions of all dinosaurs and members of staff. He moved to a red lever and pushed it downwards, causing a whirring sound to echo around the room. Steve knew this was the steel shutters closing, protecting those within the building from any external threat.

The lights flickered once more, but this time they didn't come back on. Steve frowned, waiting for the building's private backup generator to kick in. When it did, the lights came back slightly dimmer.

_Where the hell is he?_

Steve wondered.

_He knows he has to be back here when there's a storm alert on._

Three cups of tea later, there was still no sign of Bob and Steve was starting to get worried. He had tried calling him several times but none of the communication equipment was working, which Steve assumed was because of the electrical storm roaring outside. During his fourth cup, Steve made up his mind.

_He's probably talking to those visitors and lost track of time._

This was an easy thing to do when one worked at Jurassic Park. Steve had seen the visitor party arrive earlier – his father had demonstrated great displeasure at their presence, mainly because he didn't believe the park was visitor safe just yet, especially as the group of visitors included two kids. In fact, he was so concerned that he had personally gone to supervise their viewing of Raptor feeding time. Apparently, Bob still had not got over the unfortunate death of a porter at the claws of one of the first specimens.

_Well, may as well go and find him, no point just sitting here._

He made for the garage, clambered into one of the gas-powered jeeps and started the engine. Steve pressed a button on the dashboard and the garage door slowly swung open, revealing a raging, swirling tempest outside.

_I think I can safely say the weather is mildly inclement. Maybe dad's stuck out there somewhere…_

Steve pulled out of the garage and checked the doors were closed properly behind him. Being just an apprentice, he wasn't supposed to drive the gas jeeps, but as there was nobody about he couldn't see any reason why not.

Muldoon junior sped down the wet roads in the direction of the Visitor Centre. On the way, he noted that the bulbs on top of the electrified fences were unlit – Steve made a mental note to let the technical department know when they returned. Whistling to himself, he took a right at the next fork in the road. The Tyrannosaur enclosure would be coming up next, followed by the Dilophosaurauses on the right and then finally the main gate. Not far now.

Steve rounded a bend in the road and his whistling stopped abruptly. There were two tour cars parked in the viewing area beside the Rex enclosure. He frowned deeply, knowing that all visitors should be in cover during a storm. Steve began to slow down as he approached the vehicles and noted that they were the automated kind.

_Strange, the gaffer wouldn't just leave them there._ _Maybe there's a problem with…_

He was interrupted by a muffled thud shaking the ground. Then another. Then another. Then, there was an ear-shattering roar and the sight that met Steve's eyes would stay with him for the rest of his life. There, silhouetted against the tempestuous sky, was the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Standing astride the fence.

_Oh, bother._


	2. Meet Rexy

Steve was frozen in total incredulity. He just couldn't believe his eyes. The massive dinosaur had simply walked straight through the supposedly electrified fence as if it wasn't even there, let alone carrying 10,000 volts of charge. It tilted its huge maw to the skies and let out another bone-shaking roar, causing the ground to vibrate beneath the wheels of his jeep. Upon completing this show of monstrosity, it seemed to notice the two explorer cars, dwarfed before the huge creature.

Please let them be empty. Please let them be empty. Please let them… Oh bugger.

A beam of light flashed through the sunroof of the rearmost vehicle, cutting through the heavy night air and throwing a ray upon the right cheek of the Rex. Bellowing in surprise and irritation, it moved to investigate this and began bumping its snout against the doors and roof of the jeep.

Steve knew he had to move fast. He scrambled onto the back seat of his jeep and hastily searched though the contents of the boot. Being a wardens-only vehicle, it was equipped with different gear to that carried by tour cars, in particular a tranquilliser rifle. This was what Steve was searching for and, after what seemed like an age, his hand clasped around the handle of a metal case. He hauled the box out of the compartment and onto his lap, before quickly assembling the weapon inside. Grabbing a handful of darts, he exited the vehicle and snapped one into place. The rifle made a satisfying clunk as the bolt slipped back.

Steve saw that the dinosaur was now wreaking havoc with the tour vehicles, one of which was completely overturned. There were screams of pure, unadulterated terror coming from the ruined jeep, making the hairs on the back of Steve's neck to stand on end. They reminded him of the screams of that little girl, all those years ago, back in Malliway. Adla had been her name. It meant "Justice".

Night night Rexy.

Then, a movement caught his eye; he noticed in horror that one of the passengers had climbed out of the leading car and was standing in front of the beast, waving a distress flare and yelling inaudibly.

"SIR! GET BACK IN THE CAR! GET BACK IN THE CAR RIGHT NOW!" Steve bellowed, but even if the visitor heard, he payed no attention.

Muldoon junior cursed soundly under his breath and sighted down the barrel of the rifle.

Don't miss.

He aimed for the soft spot he knew was above the Rex's eye socket and exhaled slowly, squeezing the trigger as he did so. The weapon jumped slightly and made an angry hissing noise. Steve watched as the dart flew into the huge dinosaur's cheek. A perfect shot. A direct hit. But if he had expected the rampaging animal to keel over immediately, he was mistaken, because the dart only seemed rile the mighty beast even more. Before Steve could load and fire again, another visitor jumped out of the leading car, also armed with a flare, and began waving it above his head.

It's like they bleedin' well want to get eaten!

The first visitor threw the flare into the bushes and the Tyrannosaur visibly locked onto the only remaining flare and also the human carrying it, who immediately cottoned on and began to run. It seemed that there could only be one winner but, fortunately for the flare-carrier, the dinosaur trod on the toilet block, distracting it momentarily. Steve's slammed another dart into place.

Second time lucky.

This time he was not so careful with his aim and pulled the trigger quickly, causing the dart to impact in the side of the Rex. Still, there was no apparent effect. Steve realised his father's doubts over the park weaponry had been very well founded.

These bloody darts ain't powerful enough! How the hell am I supposed to stop this m…

There was another nerve-jangling roar and the toilet building collapsed altogether. Sitting on one of the toilets was a man. A man with no trousers on.

Steve watched in a kind of horrified and helpless fascination as the Tyrannosaur screamed its war cry once more and picked the man up in gaping jaws, shaking his broken body high in the air before gorily devouring him whole.

Oh god.

Tearing himself away from the grisly events unfolding beside the ruins of the toilet block, Steve began sprinting towards the remains of the jeep where the first flare-waver was crouching and apparently attempting to pull one of the passengers free. There was no sign of the other flare-wielding visitor.

Luckily for him…

Steve slung the rifle onto his shoulder as he ran, by now well aware that it was of little use against his current opponent, except maybe as a club. However, he also knew it was his duty to get to the jeep and do what he could to help the remaining visitors escape.

Steve reached the upturned vehicle quickly and squatted beside the visitor, who had just finished extracting a girl of around twelve from the wreckage. Steve offered his hand and helped her climb free, but before he could speak, another roar from behind them indicated that the Rex had finished its meal and was after some dessert. The extremely muddy girl screamed, obviously petrified, and her rescuer clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Don't move! He can't see us if we don't move." The man spoke huskily as Steve suddenly realised what a stupid idea coming over to the visitors had been. He briefly thought about grabbing his rifle and taking another shot from close range, but if what the man said was true, he would be Rex-meat before he even had a dart in the chamber. Better to stay put and pray to all the gods he knew, along with some he made up on the spot.

The massive creature stepped closer to the upturned vehicle and puffed through its nose, searching for their scent and blowing off the visitor's hat in the process. Steve could smell the rotting meat in the Tyrannosaur's breath and he silently thanked his lucky stars he hadn't had to work with the beast on a daily basis.

It stared into space for what seemed like hours but was probably just a few seconds, before spinning the car round with its hideous snout and sending the three humans flying. They scrambled to keep the jeep between them and the dinosaur.

You don't bite the flippin' hand that feeds you's son! Don't push it, Rex. No seriously, don't push it.

Steve thought bitterly, wishing fervently that his weapon was effective for the umpteenth time.

Several rotations later they found themselves right on the edge of the raised concrete roadway. The drop was enormous – there was nowhere left to go. The visitor pulled the girl onto his back and grabbed one of the broken fence wires, leaning back over the edge as he did so.

He's gonna abseil down! Clever gent.

Steve quickly followed the man's lead, grasping his own piece of wire and hanging on for dear life. As he did so the tranquilliser slipped from his shoulder and plummeted down, vanishing into the tree tops far below.

Good riddance.

The abseilers looked up in unison, just in time to see the jeep slide half way over the brink of the abyss. It was directly above the visitor's wire.

With the girl still on his back, the man began to swing, desperately trying to reach the wire occupied by Steve, who reached out a hand and swung as close to the teetering jeep as he dared. His hand clasped the girl's and just in time they swung clear, the vehicle plunging into the trees below. The dinosaur leaned over the edge, bellowed its defiance a final time, and stomped off into the night.

The climb down was, simply put, a nightmare. The wires were slippery and the rasping wind and pouring rain tugged at their torn and filthy clothing, willing them to let go and fall to their respective dooms. But against all the odds, they eventually reached the bottom of the hellishly high wall and the man gently slipped the girl from his back. He trotted over to a burst pipe and splashed his face with water from the gushing torrent. He turned back to the girl and took her head in his hands.

"Now Lex, listen. I'm right here, but I have to go help your brother, so I want you to stay right here and wait for me."

Her brother? Funny, I didn't see anyone else coming down with us… Could he still be up there?

She was hyperventilating badly and could only repeat the words "He left us! He left us, he left us!" She was obviously extremely scared.

Don't blame her.

"But that's not what I'm gonna do. Ok?" The man reassured her.

The girl he had addressed as Lex managed a nod.

"Stay here." He turned away and picked his way towards the tree.

"Hey." Steve moved closer to the girl, placed a hand on her shoulder and gently guided her to the broken pipe, where they sat down. She looked at him, her eyes wide with fear.

"First time meeting Rexy, huh? She takes a bit of getting used to."

Steve said with a half-hearted grin, hoping his weak attempt at humour would reduce some of the tension. This was in fact only the second time that Steve had seen the Tyrannosaur, but he wasn't about to let on. Lex turned back to face the tree, still shaking. He followed her gaze and noticed that the man was halfway up the trunk of a tree… A tree that was supporting the mangled remains of the fallen visitor jeep.

"Hold on… Your brother… He's not still in the car is he?!" Exclaimed Steve as the penny dropped.

Lex nodded again. At that exact moment, there was an ominous creak as the jeep shifted position and wobbled precariously.

Steve turned and sprinted for the tree.

"Bloody hell… Get down from there! The jeep's comin' down!" He yelled, trying desperately to warn the visitor of his impending doom.

The man, now accompanied by a small figure that Steve assumed to be Lex's brother, began scrambling down. All at once, there was a loud crash and the car broke through set of branches, heading straight for the pair.

"Oh no, no, NO!" Steve shouted, willing them to descend faster. The vehicle continued smashing through boughs and seemed to be catching up when at last they reached the bottom landed heavily on the ground The final branches broke and the car plunged down the final few feet, landing directly on its nose. The man flung himself over his the small boy protectively and the car toppled, landing directly on top of them and forcing Steve to dive clear.

The dust settled and Steve clambered to his feet. He breathed a gigantic sigh of relief when he saw the two climbed out of the wreckage, coughing but, somehow, relatively unharmed.

Steve went over to them. "Bloody hell, that was close."

"You're… Telling me..." The boy managed between coughing fits. Steve guessed him to be about nine and apparently not nearly as terrified as his big sister.

The older man gingerly stretched his back and turned to Steve. "Now would you mind telling us who the heck you are?! As soon as you turn up, all hell breaks loose!"

Steve smiled and extended his hand. "Apprentice Warden Steven Muldoon. May I ask the same of you, sir?"

The visitor ignored the outstretched hand of the warden and exhaled sharply, seemingly at a loss for words. As he struggled to form a coherent sentence, the boy stuck out a hand and intercepted Steve's.

"I'm Tim. You work here? That's awesome!"

Steve was about to reply when an explosion of fury issued from the visitor, not entirely dissimilar to that they had just experienced at the claws of the Rex. "Apprentice Warden?! So you're one of the assholes running this place, playing with Hammond's toys! What makes you think you can control nature eh?! You breed these creatures? You think you can control all this? Do you? And then you ask who I am?! Well, I'll tell you! I'm Dr Alan Grant, one of the poor bastards whose life you just nearly ended, all so you could test your dangerous, brainless, jumped up little safari park!"

At this point Dr Grant ran out of breath and Steve took the opportunity to get a word in edgeways. "Look doc, I just feed these things. Anyway, my job's only to look after…" He was cut off by Grant continuing his rant.

"There, you see what I mean?! You wanna feed them. Cage up and feed he deadliest hunters ever to walk the face of the earth. These guys are born hunters, they live only to kill, eat, sleep and repeat. And still you say, no, let's use them as a theme park attractions!"

"Well like it or not, I'm your only way out of this pen so you'd better…" For the second time Steve was cut off, this time by a roar sounding from somewhere above them, stopping the argument dead.

"Perhaps we'd better keep it down?" Steve suggested, after a moment of slience.

"Hrmph." Grant agreed. "C'mon, we should move – it could be back any minute." He muttered, motioning to Lex.

Grant placed a hand on the two children's shoulders and they moved off into the night, following a narrow passage through the undergrowth. Steve took a couple of deep breaths and followed, leaving the wreckage of the jeep lying beside the tree.

They walked and walked some more. Eventually they halted beside a huge tree.

"Are you hearing this?" Lex inquired shakily, referring to the large quantities of roaring still audible in the distance.

"Nope, I didn't hear anything." Grant lied. "You guys look pretty tired though, I think we should find someplace to rest." He indicated the tree beside them.

The two kids scrambled up the tree first, followed by Grant and finally Steve. "I hate trees." Tim declared, wrapping his small arms as far as they would go around the trunk.

"They don't bother me!" Replied Lex, not letting the opportunity to get one over her brother pass.

"Yeah, well, you weren't in that last one." Tim retorted.

They reached a crook in the bows and settled down. Steve sat slightly apart from Lex and Tim, who were huddling up to a rather surprised Dr Grant. Steve tuned out from their murmured conversation and immediately fell in to a state of semi-sleep, often utilised by hunters catching a wink on the trail – one ear always open, listening out for danger. Steve was going to get these visitors home if it was the last thing he did – even if he didn't know it yet.


	3. The Fence

Steve was awoken by something that sounded distinctly like an elephant sneezing (whole other story).

For a moment he forgot where he was, but this was quickly rectified by accidentally banging his head against the branch he had been using as his pillow. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up, ducking under a dangling creeper. He saw that Dr Grant and the two kids were gazing in awe at the massive head of a Brachiosaurus, which had apparently come to investigate the intruders to its larder. Steve also noted that Lex was covered in a substance that looked suspiciously like snot.

"Mornin'. Got a cold again has she?" Inquired Steve lightly.

Tim grinned and nodded vigorously. "She's beautiful."

Steve chuckled and addressed Lex. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up. I think there's a stream down there."

There was indeed, and before long they had all washed and drunk. Grant filled his water bottle and turned to Steve.

"All right then, 'Apprentice Warden', which way do we go?" He spat out the words as if they were poisonous and Steve knew that their disagreement from the previous night was not forgotten. Nevertheless, Steve ignored Grant's mocking tone.

"We should head for the visitor centre. I reckon it's only a few miles in round about that direction." He pointed towards the expansive plain on their left, dotted with trees, bushes and feeding Brachiosaurus. "The only problem is, we'll have to cross the main fence."

"Fine, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let's get moving." Grant replied. The quartet moved out with Steve leading the way, closely followed by Tim, then Lex and finally Dr Grant.

A short while later, a surprised cry from Steve halted their progress. The other three crowded around the young warden as he crouched beside a small depression in the ground. He held up a fragment of an egg, which the others recognised immediately. It was identical to those contained within the breeding room.

"How'd that get there?" Steve wondered aloud, afraid to voice his gut feeling.

Grant had no such qualms. "You know what that is? It's a dinosaur egg. The dinosaurs are breeding."

Tim carefully took the egg off the warden and looked at it critically. "But… My Grandpa said all dinosaurs were girls."

Grant gazed into space for a second before it dawned on him. "Amphibian DNA." He muttered. The others looked at him questioningly, waiting for him the elaborate.

Dr Grant obliged without persuasion. "On the tour… The film said they used frog DNA to fill in the gene sequence gaps. They mutated the dinosaur's genetic code and blended it with that of frogs, right?" The pause wasn't meant for Steve's conformation, but he got it anyway in the form of a bewildered nod.

"Some West African frogs have been known to spontaneously change sex from male to female, in a single sex environment." Grant continued. "Malcolm was right… Life found a way."

There was a pause as everyone digested this latest piece of information. Steve knew there was no contingency plan in place for if the inhabitants of the park started breeding of their own accord. After all, why should there be, all the dinosaurs were supposed to be female. He mentally cursed this scientific slip up.

_As if we weren't in enough trouble already, the critters are replicating._

Grant broke the silence. "C'mon, let's go. Warden, lead the way." Steve noted with satisfaction that the shock of this discovery had somewhat mediated his anger towards the young warden.

Better enjoy it while it lasts.

They walked for several hours, the doctor occasionally offering his water canteen to the two children. The sun had risen high overhead, and Steve reckoned it to be about midday. Looking back, he saw the kids were talking to – or rather, at – Dr Grant as they walked. Grant looked at Steve, his expression simply screaming "Please say we're nearly there". The warden chuckled. "About a mile."

Almost before the words had passed his lips, Steven knew something was not right. His hunter sense, acquired, nurtured and honed by years spent out in the savannah, was alerting to him the presence of danger. This meant that when a cloud of dust appeared in the distance, he was not surprised one bit. Squinting against the midday sunlight, he saw it was getting larger by the second. He motioned to the others to duck behind a fallen tree and did the same himself. It soon became clear that at the centre of the dust storm were a huge number of dinosaurs.

Dr Grant was amazed. "Can you tell me what they are?" He murmured in the general direction of Tim.

"Gall… Gallimi… Gallimimus." The boy struggled, eventually arriving at the correct pronunciation. Steve nodded his agreement; although he was not directly affiliated with their care, he had seen a name vaguely resembling that on the park feeding list.

"Look at the wheeling… The uniform direction change! Like a flock of birds evading a predator!" Muttered Grant, this time to no one in particular.

"They're… Uhh… They're flocking this way." Said Tim with a nervous laugh, noting that the Gallimimus had changed direction and were heading straight for the small party. Almost before the words had escaped his lips, a familiarly ear-splitting roar echoed around the park and the Tyrannosaur trundled out of the jungle, wading deep into the stampeding herd.

"Get down!" Steve hissed and the four hit the deck, Dr Grant casting a protective arm over Lex and Tim as the flock hurdled the trunk they were hiding behind.

Through a crack in the trunk they watched as the Rex chose its target, circled and finally dived in for the kill, sinking its teeth deep into the unfortunate dinosaur's hide. Three of the group were transfixed watching the Rex devour its prey, but the fourth – Lex – was slightly more squeamish. She whispered into Dr Grant's ear. "I wanna go. Now!"

Grant replied without taking his eyes of the Tyrannosaur, his voice hushed. "Watch how it eats…"

"Please!" Lex pleaded.

"Bet you'll never look at birds the same way again." The doctor muttered. Tim nodded, still fascinated by the gore in only the way a nine-year-old boy can be. The Rex picked that moment to utter another one of its incredible cries as it enjoyed the remains of the Gallimimus.

"Let's go." Grant said quietly, gripping Tim by the shoulder and prising him away from the crack in the trunk.

"Okay, keep low and follow me." Steve led the way out from behind the fallen tree and together they ran, doubled over, for the cover provided by the forest. The huge dinosaur was too intent on finishing off the scraps of its kill to notice. Tim sneaked a last look over his shoulder at the gruesome scene behind. "Look at all its blood!" He remarked delightedly, making both Grant and Steve chuckle.

Steve had no idea how long the mad scramble through the jungle lasted. They were scratched to bits by creepers and Steve wondered how much blood the mosquitoes had left inside him. At last, they arrived at the fence, which was ironically the part the young warden had been dreading. He didn't get on too well with heights.

Steve glanced about him, taking in the state of the others. Grant was offering around his canteen and Steve watched as Lex consumed the last of its contents.

Dr Grant looked up at the fence, which was well over twenty feet high. He grabbed a stick and moved closer to the metal structure. Taking a deep breath, he poked the wire with the stick. Nothing happened.

"I guess that means the power's off…" He mused, still not entirely trusting the fence. He moved closer still, as if approaching a wild animal, and slowly placed both hands upon the cable.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Grant screamed and his entire body shook. Lex and Tim vocally followed suit and Steve was sure his heart missed a beat. Suddenly Grant stopped vibrating and silence fell. The doctor span around, smiling wickedly.

"Gotcha."

Lex composed herself fastest. "That's not funny."

"That was great!" Exclaimed Tim, grinning madly.

"Bloody hell… You nearly gave me a heart attack." Steve shook his head in mildly amused bewilderment at the doctor's antics. He really couldn't make the bloke out.

Chuckling, Grant turned back to the fence. "It's a bit of a climb. You guys think you can make it?"

"Nope." "Way too high." Came the replies from Tim and Lex respectively.

"Tell you what, I'll stay back here. If you fall off, I'll catch you." Steve addressed the two kids. This would also mean he could put off climbing the dizzyingly high fence a little longer, but he decided not to mention that.

Before anyone could reply, the Tyrannosaur roared from somewhere worryingly close behind. Instantly Grant, Tim and Lex leapt onto the fence and began climbing, with Steve casting nervous glances over his shoulder and shouting encouragement to the three climbers.

Before long both Lex and Grant had reached the top and started down the other side, leaving just Tim on the ascent. To his horror, Steve saw that, in the distance, the lights on top of the fence were beginning to flicker. He attention was briefly distracted by Lex and Grant reaching the ground on the other side and when he looked back he saw Tim was gingerly swinging himself over the top of the fence. As if in slow motion, the light beside the boy began to flash.

Tim continued his journey, still moving painfully slowly. Dr Grant had also noticed that the light had come to life and exchanged a taut glance with Steve through the fence. Then, Tim noticed the light and froze.

"C'mon Tim, move down damn it!" Shouted Grant. The seconds ticked by and still Tim clung to the fence, unmoving.

"Timmy! The power is coming on, quick!" Lex cajoled.

"I can't! I'm… s…scared!" The boy's voice was shaky and his eyes glued to the light.

"Tim, you're gonna have to let go." Grant yelled back at him.

"Jump, Timmy!" "It's too late!" "You gotta jump matey!" All three on the ground were trying to get the kid down now. All the while, the light was flashing faster and faster.

"You're c…c…crazy! I'm not g…g…gonna jump!" Tim replied, still clinging to the fence desperately.

"Timmy, let go! I'll catch you." Hollered Grant, trying and failing to calm the tone of his voice.

"But what if you m…miss?" Tim still wasn't sure.

"Tim, I'm right here. It's gonna be fine. I'll count to three." Grant shouted.

"You're gonna get electrocuted!" Lex resorted to shock tactics and Steve glared at her.

"Shut up, you're scaring me!" Tim's eyes were still fixated on the flashing red light.

"Shh Tim, I'm right here below you. I've got you. Now, you count. One, two, three." Grant repeated.

"Timmy, listen to Dr. Grant!" Lex advised.

The fence began to hum ominously. Grant and Steve simultaneously realised they were out of time and they both sprinted for the fence, Steve's fear of heights temporarily forgotten. Neither of them were going to just stand by and watch the small boy get fried. "I'm coming up there Tim!" Grant yelled.

"Okay, okay! I'll c…c…count to three." Tim finally jerked his eyes away from the light and pulled himself together. "One. Two…"

Too late. With a loud buzz, power coursed through the wires of the fence once more and young Timothy Murphy was sent flying off the fence. Grant flung himself underneath the falling child and Tim's small frame slammed into that of the doctor's, breaking the boy's fall. Grant sat up groggily and saw that Tim was not moving.

"Tim, you okay? Tim?" Grant hastily knelt down beside the boy's spread-eagled body, ripped open his filthy, torn shirt and listened to his chest. "He's not breathing… Tim!"

Grant started CPR, alternately performing chest compressions and breathing into the small boy's mouth.

"Timmy!" Lex wailed, freaking out.

"It's gonna be ok Lex." Steve murmured from as close to his side of the fence as he dared. "He's gonna be fine." The statements were more in hope than anything else.

The compressions continued without success and Steve could see Grant beginning to tire. "Come on Tim, come on." Steve muttered in frustration, not daring to take his eyes of the distressing scene on the other side of the now-impenetrable fence.

At long, long last, Tim's eyes flickered. He began choking and Dr Grant hauled him upright, placing an arm around his shoulders in support. "Good boy, Tim. Good boy." He murmured with a grin the size of the Kenyan full moon.

"Three." Tim managed, weakly.

Lex and Steve shared a collective sigh of relief on opposite sides of the fence. The girl enveloped her brother in a bear hug and Grant stood back, his usually stony features now softened almost beyond recognition.

"Doc?" Steve said and Grant turned to face him.

"Good show." The young warden grinned. Dr Grant began to return the smile before quashing it hurriedly, perhaps remembering his dislike for all involved with Jurassic Park.

"So, how do you plan on getting across the fence now it's activated?" Grant inquired, secretly slightly concerned for Steve's safety – death by Tyrannosaurus Rex was not something to be wished upon anyone, no matter how outrageous his or her choice of work.

"The only way to turn on the power after a complete outage is to trip the breakers in the power house, which is just behind those trees." Steve pointed to a clump of trees around half a mile away. "There must be someone inside, so I'd better go check. I can also open the main gate from there, which is my way back in. You three should carry on to the Visitor Centre, I'll meet you there later."

Dr Grant nodded his approval at this proposal and turned to the kids. Then, he looked back at the warden. "And Steve?"

"Yes doc?" Replied Steve, realising that was the first time Grant had used his name.

"Watch yourself." Dr Grant said quietly.

"I will." Steve patted the knife that hung from his belt.

"See you shortly."

_Did he seriously just wish me luck? Maybe he ain't so bad after all._


	4. Ambush

Steve approached the powerhouse and, for the second time in as many hours, immediately knew something was wrong. He could smell death, the _Katili Avunaye _casting his dark, frigid shadow over the squat building and surrounding jungle. Ahead, he saw the door swinging open in the cool breeze, creaking slightly. There was a small object lying on the ground, directly between him and the doorway. It looked familiar.

He crept towards it, taking care to avoid twigs and other loose matter; he remembered his father's voice explaining the value of silence. _"The element of surprise is the most useful card a hunter can have in his pack. Silence is everything. The more time you spend on your approach, the quicker the kill will be. Take small steps and be sure to stay downwind. Pick your spot, take your shot, go in hot. When you play this card, play it right or not at all."_

Steve inched closer to the object. He could smell blood now, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. A shiver ran down his spine, despite the fact the noontide sun was still beating down. He crouched down slowly and his hand went towards the object. A safari bush hat. The exact same type as worn by Bob Muldoon. And it was splashed with blood. Still wet. The same blood that was now obvious in large pools around the clearing. You didn't need to be an expert tracker to reach the conclusion that the hat's owner had not fared well.

His hand shaking, Steve reached out and grasped the brim of the hat between thumb and forefinger. He turned it over and checked the label. Two letters were painstakingly embroidered into the fabric.

The first letter was R.

R stood for Robert.

The second was M.

M for Muldoon.

Robert Muldoon.

Bob.

Steve's father.

_*Snap*_

The sound came from behind Steve and was almost inaudible, but he knew exactly what it was.

The element of surprise is the most useful card a hunter can have in his pack. Silence is everything.

Steve felt an uncanny tingling sensation at the nape of his neck. He also knew precisely what caused this.

The more time you spend on your approach, the quicker the kill will be.

Steve sniffed twice. The smell of death was stronger now; the sun seemed to be not nearly as warm.

Take small steps and be sure to stay downwind.

Steve tutted to himself.

Silly girl.

He threw himself into a sideways roll and the adolescent Velociraptor clawed at where Steve's head had been milliseconds before. The warden was on his feet in a flash and the two young hunters exchanged cold, calculating stares, each sizing the other up. Steve glanced down at his feet near which, to his delight, he saw a SPAS-12 pump-action shotgun lying.

Steve made a dart for the weapon but the Raptor was still young and had ridiculously fast reflexes, which it employed to chase the human away from the shotgun. Undeterred, Steve circled the dinosaur, searching for a way past its guard. Eventually, an idea came to him.

Steve went for his knife, and to his credit, almost got there. The dinosaur anticipated this move and lunged for the human's arm, which created the chink in the Raptor's armour Steve had been searching for.

Pick your spot.

In one fluid movement, Steve threw himself under the belly of the Velociraptor and rolled out the other side, grabbing the SPAS-12 on the way past. By the time the young dinosaur had worked out where its prey had gone, Steve was on his feet and had the shotgun at his shoulder.

Take your shot.

He squinted down the sights and squeezed the trigger. The warden would never forget the Raptor's expression of sheer reptilian disbelief as the 12-gauge solid slug pierced its skull right between the eyes.

Go in hot.

Steve swiftly strode to the body of the fallen Raptor and fired twice more, the rounds tearing into its limp body. This had the duel effect of making sure the Velociraptor wasn't faking, and also stopping it suffering.

Blackjack. My game, I think.

The warden crouched down on his haunches and gradually caught his breath, gazing at his father's bloodstained bush hat. Steve's eyes moistened as the adrenaline faded from his bloodstream and he tried to fight back tears. He lost this battle in less time than it had taken to finish off the Raptor and just sat there, silent tears rolling down his face, clutching his shotgun in one hand and the hat in the other.

Steve sat on the floor for an indeterminate amount of time, staring into space. His eyes gradually focussed on a narrow path leading to the fence he could just see in the distance. Then something caught his attention.

He eased himself up off the floor and trotted over to the path. There were several puddles remaining from the storm the previous night, and leading towards the fence there were two sets of footprints evident in the wet mud. Bending over, he could see they were three-toed, and this gave him a pretty good idea of what had made them, and where they were headed.

Steve straightened up, took one last look around the clearing outside the powerhouse and slammed his father's hat onto his head. There would be time enough for grieving later. Right now, he had to get to the Visitor Centre. As fast as humanly, or dinosaurly, possible.


	5. Simba Wawindaji

Steve reached the fence in next to no time and was pleased to find the preceding Raptors had chewed a large hole in the wires. He slung the shotgun over his shoulder and carefully clambered through, taking great care not to touch the metal of the highly charged fence. He could see the Visitor Centre in the distance and he took off at a sprint. Steve was a fast runner, and he reached the building in record time.

But was I fast enough.

Once again, Steve's instincts told him something was wrong. Not wrong in the same, deathly way it had been beside the powerhouse, or wrong in the impending doom way it had been when the Rex attacked the Gallimimus, but it was still all too quiet. As if to contest this latest thought, a muffled clang rang out from round the back of the centre.

The young warden made his way to the rear entrance and sliently stepped through the door. It led straight into the main dining hall. Steve involuntarily jumped slightly as he saw the remains of a meal lying upon the table. The ice cream hadn't fully melted, which meant there had been someone here until very recently. There was another clang, and he saw it came from behind the kitchen door. The door was ajar.

The warden slipped his weapon off his shoulder and he moved stealthily closer to the metal doorway. He pressed his shoulder up against the wall and peered through the window in the top of the door.

Two Velociraptors were prowling about inside the all-metal furnished room. Steve's eyes were somehow drawn to a silver cabinet, just in time to see Tim and Lex crawl out from behind it. The warden realised in horror that he was witnessing a deadly game of hide and seek – one in which there was only going to be one winner. Steve ducked back behind cover and frantically rummaged around his brain for a plan. He quickly arrived at a conclusion.

Whatever happens, someone or something is gonna die here today. It's not going to be a kid, and I'm damned if it's going to be me either. Element of surprise my arse! 'Brute force', your time has come.

Steve took a deep breath and kicked open the door, stepping forwards so that he stood silhouetted in the doorway.

"Honey!" He yelled, the pump on his shotgun sliding back and forth with a satisfying clack. "I'm home!"

Steve was almost knocked off his feet by twin bolts of lightning, vaguely resembling Tim and Lex, sprinting past him and tumbling into the relative safety of the dining room. The young warden saw that the two Raptors were lying on the floor. One looked up at him groggily, its expression a comically surprised mix of "Who are you?" and "Did you really just say that?"

This shit is messed up. The bastards have expressions.

As soon as the Murphys were clear, Steve backed out of the entrance and closed the door, waiting for the click that signified the door was shut. As soon as he heard this he relaxed, lowered the weapon and turned to the kids. They were shivering behind the service counter and not taking their eyes off the kitchen door.

Steve went over to them, lowered himself to their height and spoke.

"It's okay, you're safe now. Those two are gonna be stuck in there for a bloody long time."

He was stopped midway through his sentence by a slight creaking sound coming from behind him. He turned. Nothing.

Hmm.

"S…s…Steve?" Lex began.

"Yeah?" Steve replied.

"They… They can open…" Tim continued. Steve looked back over his shoulder again, a terrible sense of foreboding gripping him like a vice. Before his eyes, the kitchen door handle slowly begun to rotate.

"Doors." Lex finished and dived back down out of sight.

"Bugger."

The warden cursed and raised the weapon to his shoulder once more, his finger tightening on the trigger. "Do you two know where Dr Grant is?" He questioned urgently.

"He just said to wait here!" Tim squeaked from behind the counter.

Steve was just about to curse again when another sound caught his attention, once more coming from behind him. He span and sighted down his shotgun. Through the rear entrance came Dr Grant, also carrying a SPAS-12 and accompanied by a blonde-haired woman, probably in her late twenties.

The young warden breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to face the kitchen door.

"It's… It's in there!" Said Lex, and another voice, belonging to Grant's companion, replied.

"Control room. Now."

They ran down a maze of corridors, following the signs to the control room. Grant noticed that Tim was struggling to move properly and lifted him onto his shoulder, carrying the boy as they ran. They soon reached their destination and burst in through the unlocked door. Steve slammed it behind them.

"Can we call for help?" Lex asked breathlessly.

"Looks like we've got to reboot the system first." Replied the woman, consulting a flashing computer monitor in the corner.

There was a crash outside the door. Steve dropped his gun and instinctively grabbed hold of the door, preventing it from opening. "Could do with a hand here Doc!" He yelled.

Grant also dropped his weapon and stood next to Steve, pushing with all his might on the buckling door. There was pandemonium as Grant's companion came to assist and the three exerted every last ounce of strength on that door.

"Ellie! Get back there and boot up the door locks!" Shouted Dr Grant, addressing his companion.

"But you can't hold it!" Replied Ellie, struggling to maintain her footing.

"Then the guns, try to reach the guns!" It was Steve who spoke.

"I can't, not unless I move!" They were running out of options.

Suddenly, Lex sat down in the chair opposite the computer workstation. "I know this…" She muttered, her fingers flying over the keyboard. Tim caught on and stood behind her, murmuring encouragement. Steve and the others grimly held clung onto the door, knowing that the slightest slip would allow the Raptors into the room.

After what seemed like an age, Lex gave a shout of triumph. "There! I found it!" She typed in a final command and the door snapped shut, huge metal bolts securing it in place. Steve slumped down against it, exhausted, while Grant and Ellie went over to the workstation.

"What works?" Asked the doctor.

"Phones, security systems, everything. You ask for it, we got it!" Lex almost shouted.

Grant picked up a phone and pressed a button on the receiver. He listened briefly and replied. "The children are fine. Now listen, the phones are back up. Call the mainland and get them to send the damn helicopters…" Grant was stopped mid sentence by a tremendous smash from beside the door. The terrifying shape of a Raptor's head was sticking through a large hole in the glass wall. There was a scream and Steve threw himself clear as Grant fired three shots at the dinosaur, which hastily withdrew its head. The warden dived on his fallen SPAS-12 and sighted down the barrel. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Grant throw his shotgun to the floor in frustration. It was jammed.

Ellie found a hatch in the ceiling and pulled down a ladder, quickly ushering the two kids up into the roof cavity.

"C'mon, this way!" Grant shouted at Steve, the doctor already halfway up the ladder.

"You go, I'll buy you some time!" Returned Steve without taking his eyes off the badly damaged window.

"But they'll kill you!" Grant yelled in frustration.

"Dr Grant, sir. I work here at this dangerous, brainless, jumped up little safari park as you called it. Today, my dad – Chief Warden Bob Muldoon, I think you met him – was killed doing what he loved. Together we fed the dinos; and I'm not gonna let him face the consequences alone. You see, where I used to work, I had a nickname. They called me the Simba Wawindaji_. And I think it's about time the Lion Hunter added a Velociraptor to his trohpy cabinet. I'm a game warden, this is what I do – and I wouldn't change it for the world." The young warden grinned as he set his father's hat at a jaunty angle. "Now get going!"_

_The two _Velociraptors smashed through the pane of glass, shattering it completely. Grant had no choice but to continue his climb up the ladder to where Ellie and the kids were waiting. An explosion rang out below as a SPAS-12 shotgun discharged its lethal load, swiftly followed by an inhuman screech.

There was silence for a moment before another shot echoed and another scream followed, but this time the latter was unmistakably human.

"OUUUUUUUCH! Bollocking buggering pissing twatting shit-faced bastard-wanker!"

The shotgun roared twice more.

"AAAAAAAARGH! 'AVE SOME O' THAT, PRAT!

Another shot.

"COME 'ERE YA CRAP 'EADED TOSSER!"

The stream of British profanity did nothing to stop Grant feeling compelled to stay and listen for the outcome of the battle, but Ellie grabbed his hand and motioned to the kids. We have to go. Said her expression. Grant cast a last despairing look at the ladder before casting it off, impossibly hearing the slight crump as it hit the floor below. They found a ventilation shaft in the wall and crawled down it, the sound of mortal combat fading behind them.


	6. Rescue

A voice hissed in Steve's ear. "Steve. Steve! Wake up!"

I know that voice.

The warden's eyes snapped open and he tried to stretch, only to find that he couldn't move. He panicked for a second, before realising he was pinned beneath a fallen workstation, effectively paralysing him. He looked about him. He was half sitting, half lying in a pool of blood, which Steve hoped wasn't his own. Then the voice whispered again and he turned to his left, a sharp pain stabbing through his arm as he did so. By his side was Dr Grant.

"Doc… What are…" He managed through swollen lips.

Grant ignored the attempted question and struggled with the table, somehow managing to slide it off Steve's body as the warden grunted in pain. Steve opened his mouth to thank him but no sound came out.

With an almost superhuman effort, the young warden attempted to stand up and was pleasantly surprised when he managed it, albeit in a slightly wonky fashion. Grant placed his hand on Steve's undamaged shoulder and gently steered him out of the broken floor-to-ceiling window and down several flights of stairs. Eventually, they were back in the dining hall.

Steve was losing blood fast and was barely conscious as Grant half carried him out of the rear door. The warden vaguely registered being placed on the back seat of an explorer jeep next to another casualty and heard the vehicle starting up. When he woke up again he was being lifted into a helicopter. He noticed Dr Grant out of the corner of his eye, sitting opposite him in between the two kids.

"Doc… I… owe you… one." Steve rasped. As the helicopter lifted off, leaving the remnants of Jurassic Park far below, Grant smiled.

"Evens." He said softly.


End file.
